11 ex-Vancouver Canucks players still looking for a contract in free agency

It’s mid-July, but dozens of NHL players from last season are still looking for work. Ironically, nearly a sixth of them are former Vancouver Canucks.

According to PuckPedia, 59 players who played NHL games last season are still looking for work, meaning that nearly 20 per cent of remaining free agents previously played for Vancouver.

Here are 11 ex-Canucks players who are still looking for a contract.

1. Evander Kane

• 2025-26 stats: 71 GP, 13 G, 18 A, 31 PTS

Evander Kane didn’t do himself any favours last season.

The best thing about Kane’s homecoming was the blue and green suit he rocked during his first press conference in Vancouver. On the ice, however, his play left a lot to be desired.

His 0.43 points-per-game was the lowest output he’s had since he was an 18-year-old rookie in 2009-10.

2. Carson Soucy

• 2025-26 stats: 76 GP, 5 G, 7 A, 12 PTS

When the Canucks signed Carson Soucy back in 2023, they took a bet on him potentially blossoming into a top-four defenceman.

That never really panned out. Soucy always crushed his defensive assignments in weaker matchup roles, but struggled when promoted in the lineup.

That appears to have been the case in his last two stops with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders as well. Still, the 29-year-old is a serviceable NHL defenceman.

3. Tanner Pearson

• 2025-26 stats: 56 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 PTS

In the three seasons since departing Vancouver, Tanner Pearson has already suited up for four different NHL teams.

The 33-year-old was traded from the Canucks to the Montreal Canadiens before the 2023-24 season, and then signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024-25.

Last season, Pearson was an everyday player for the Winnipeg Jets before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. However, he sat in the press box for their entire playoff run.

4. Ben Hutton

• 2025-26 stats: 55 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 PTS

It’s crazy to think that Ben Hutton once played over 22 minutes per night for the Canucks.

If that feels like a lifetime ago, it’s because it was.

However, the 33-year-old successfully carved out a role as a sixth/seventh defenceman in Vegas for the last five seasons. The 55 games he played last year were his highest mark since 2021-22, and the six goals he netted were a career-high.

5. Danton Heinen

• 2025-26 stats: 46 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 PTS

Remember when the Canucks chose Danton Heinen over Vasily Podkolzin?

The Heinen experiment didn’t work out in Vancouver, and he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Marcus Pettersson deal midway through the 2024-25 season.

He ended up playing AHL games for the first time in seven seasons last year, before the Columbus Blue Jackets scooped him up on waivers. He was relatively successful there in a fourth-line role, posting five goals and 10 points in 33 games.

6. Curtis Lazar

• 2025-26 stats: 45 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS

It looked for a second like Curtis Lazar had found a home after being traded by the Canucks back in 2023.

With the New Jersey Devils in 2023-24, the Salmon Arm, B.C. native posted career highs with seven goals and 25 points. However, he regressed the following season and was similarly utilized as a fringe roster player with the Edmonton Oilers last season.

7. David Kampf

• 2025-26 stats: 45 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS

So, why did the Washington Capitals trade a sixth-round pick for David Kampf?

Kampf was dealt to Washington by the Canucks at the 2026 trade deadline, even though the Capitals were already in selling mode after the John Carlson deal. He played two games for Washington and was not re-signed.

The Canucks used that sixth-round pick to select 6-foot-4 Slovak forward Lucian Bernat.

8. Pierre Olivier-Joseph

• 2025-26 stats: 31 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 PTS

Last season with the Canucks, Pierre-Olivier Joseph brought positive locker-room vibes and impeccable fashion sense.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t all that useful on the ice.

The 26-year-old became an unrestricted free agent after the Canucks decided not to tender him a qualifying offer. They essentially replaced him with Luke Schenn in free agency.

9. Travis Hamonic

• 2025-26 stats: 26 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS

Of all the players on this list, it would be the least surprising if Travis Hamonic decided to call it a career.

The 35-year-old defenceman was the Detroit Red Wings’ seventh defenceman last season. Even in limited minutes, he was a liability.

Hamonic is currently 74 games away from 1,000 in his NHL career.

10. Derek Forbort

• 2025-26 stats: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

The 2025-26 season was a hellacious one for Derek Forbort. He played the first two games of the season and was never seen again.

Forbort explained during the end-of-season press conference that he had hip issues during training camp, and things spiralled from there. After attempting to fight through it, he ended up getting surgery to repair a labral tear in his hip.

However, he’s expressed a desire to keep playing.

“I’d like to try and maybe grind out a couple more, depending on how it feels,” Forbort told the media. “Just talking to the surgeon, he said it’s gonna solve a lot of the issues that I had the last couple of years with it. So hopefully makes a big difference, and can try and continue playing.”

11. Nils Aman

• 2025-26 stats: 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PTS

Even though Nils Aman was a restricted free agent, his departure from the organization was predictable. Aman did lead the Abbotsford Canucks in points last season; however, he scored just six times in 55 games.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Aman follow in Phil Di Giuseppe’s footsteps, as the former Canucks forward signed with an SHL team earlier this week.

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